Sunday November 18th 2001

 

Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and R&B Album Chart November 24

 

New CD's this week:

Released this week the scond album from female quartet Allure "Sunny days",
who already some succes with the first single "Enjoy yourself" Also in the shops
this week the debut album from KeKe Wyatt "Soulsista". KeKe first stepped
into the spotlight via her duett wit labelmate Avant "My first love". Now Avant
returns the favour by duetting with KeKe on het new single "Nothing in this
world".

Short  news stories this week:

Yahoo! For Prince

Prince's song "The Work, Part 1" won an Online Music Award from Yahoo Internet
Life magazine in the category of best single first released online. The magazine's
2001 Online Music Awards ceremony was to have taken place on September 20 in
New York City, but was canceled following the events on September 11. The winners
for the awards - which honor those who use the Web to move music into the future -
will instead be announced in upcoming December issue of Yahoo Internet Life.
In his ongoing dislike of record companies, Prince decided to release "The Work,
Part 1" through his subscription-based website (npgmusicclub.com) earlier this year.
Following that pattern, on October 20 the artist released the full-length album "The
Rainbow Children" online a full month prior to Tuesday's (November 20) on-sale
date for the collection at more traditional outlets.

Dawn Robinson Says Lucy Pearl Gave Her Credibility As A Musician

Former En Vogue and Lucy Pearl member Dawn Robinson is preparing for the
January 29 release of her still-untitled solo debut on Q Records. The singer,
who is enjoying exercising her artistic creative control, says she first received
credibility as a musician when she joined the band Lucy Pearl with Raphael Saadiq
and Ali Shaheed Muhammad.
As a member of En Vogue, Robinson said the press didn't treat the quartet as
musicians. "We would get asked questions like, 'What is your favorite color?'
'Who's dating who right now?' 'Is anyone dating a celebrity?' 'Who takes the
longest to get dressed when you're getting ready for a show?'," Robinson told us,
terming the interviewers' queries "little girly questions." But when she joined Lucy
Pearl and participated in the songwriting of the album, press treated her differently,
asking her questions about writing songs and vibing in the studio.
The reaction made her feel good. "I feel like a musician now," she said, "as
opposed to a just singer in a group, and you were put together, and all of the
songs were put together for you, and you're told what to sing, when and where
and how."
Robinson wrote the Lucy Pearl song "Don't Mess With My Man," which reached
Number 41 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.

Jill Scott Explains Why She's Releasing New Live Double Album

Soul singer Jill Scott will release a new live double album, "Experience: Jill Scott
(826 Plus)", on Tuesday (November 20), and the first single is a new, uptempo
version of her song "He Loves Me." "Experience: Jill Scott (826 Plus)" was recorded
live at Washington, D.C.'s Constitution Hall on August 26, and it includes 11 live
tracks plus six new bonus songs. Scott's debut set, "Who Is Jill Scott?: Words And
Sounds, Vol. 1", has sold more than 2 million copies in the United States.
On Wednesday (November 14), Scott's label Hidden Beach Recordings held a
luncheon for the singer at New York's Jimmy's Uptown Cafe. At the event Scott
explained that she is putting out the new album so she can take a break: "This
album is kinda quick. It's kinda fast. It's a live album--obviously most of you know
that--and it's also some unreleased music that I've had that just was burning, you
know, like, I got to put it somewhere. I'm ready to, you know, just give something
else so I can take a break."
Scott was also quick to point out that this live album is a real offering as opposed
to a canned, manufactured set: "This is not a hoax, y'all. This is not a gimmick.
This is not something that I boxed and packaged and created to sell. This music
is an offering."

EW&F Re-Sign To Warners

Maurice White and his Earth, Wind & Fire guys have just signed to Warners for
the third time. They were previously with the label at the beginning of the seventies
[and released a couple of albums], later rejoining the outlet after their mega-successful
spell with Columbia, resulting in '93's 'Millennium' album. Now, after a few releases
on Pyramid, the guys are back at Warners and will have a new album out in the first
quarter of next year. The album has been produced by Maurice, of course, and features
Eric Benét, duetting with Phillip Bailey on the tune 'I Wanna Be Loved'. Tracks
previously recorded with Wyclef Jean have been scrapped. Word is they didn't fit the
direction of the rest of the album.

 

R&B Star Usher Injured, Postpones Tour Until April

R&B star Usher dislocated his shoulder while rehearsing for his upcoming tour last
week. The singer, who hurt himself while practicing a back flip, underwent surgery
on Monday (November 12) and is currently hospitalized in Los Angeles.
Usher sustained the injury as his latest hit "U Got It Bad" dominates the charts, and
just three weeks prior to the kickoff of his tour--which was to feature Ray J and
Fabolous the opening acts--on December 6 in Minneapolis. Now Usher will rest for
three months and has tentative plans to reschedule the tour for April.
Usher's latest release, "8701", fueled by "U Got It Bad," continues to sell more than
100,000 copies a week. The set has already sold 1.3 million copies in the United
States, according to Soundscan.

Alicia Keys Leads AMA Nominations With Five

R&B newcomer Alicia Keys, who won commercial and critical acclaim with her
J Records debut album "Songs in A Minor," received a leading five American
Music Awards nominations, it was announced today (Nov. 13). The artist received
nominations in both the pop and R&B categories for favorite female artist and
favorite new artist.
"Songs in A Minor" was nominated in the R&B album category alongside Janet
Jackson's "All for You" and Aaliyah's self-titled album, both of which were released
by Virgin. Aaliyah, who died in an Aug. 25 plane crash, also was nominated for
favorite female R&B artist. Mary J. Blige received the third bid in the category.
Keys faces Jackson and Jennifer Lopez for the top pop female artist award.

 

Aaliyah Fans Fight To Keep The Deceased Actress In 'Matrix 2'

Thousands of fans of the late singer-actress Aaliyah have started an online petition
at petitiononline.com to keep the scenes that the actress shot for Matrix 2 in the
final cut of the movie. Unfortunately, Aaliyah was scheduled to perform the bulk
of her role when shooting continued in Australia in late September but the singer
was killed along with eight others when a plane that was transporting her and her
video crew from the Bahamas to Miami crashed on August 25.
The petition reads as follows: "In the wake of the tragic death of R&B singer-
actress Aaliyah, Warner Bros. is rumored to be cutting the scenes Aaliyah has
already filmed for The Matrix 2 and recasting the role. We would like to urge
WB to honor the memory of Aaliyah's life and keep her scenes in The Matrix 2.
Along with your help, we hope to get Warner Bros. to keep Aaliyah's memory
alive." More than 16,000 fans have signed the petition and the number continues
to grow.
Initially, Warner Bros. planned to keep the scenes that the Aaliyah shot in the
movie but subsequently they decided to cast someone else in the role so that
the part could possibly be expanded for Matrix 3. Several actresses--including
Brandy, James King, Eva Mendez, and Erykah Badu--are said to be in the running
for the role.
In related news, Queen Of The Damned, a movie Aaliyah completed shooting
before she died, will not feature the actress's voice. Prior to her death, Aaliyah
hadn't recorded the dialogue for her role as a vampire queen, which required
an Egyptian accent. Another actress will recite the actress's lines, but fans will
still see the deceased star in the lead role.

 

News 2001